Leveling Jacks Do's and Don'ts

zach477 wrote:
What are some Do's and Don'ts for a newbie to be aware of. What surfaces to put (or not" put them down on? Or any thing else you think of, or mistakes you've made.

Our previous coach had air leveling (air bags) and hydraulic level legs. Depending on the surface would dictate on which one I would use.

Generally, if the surface was asphalt or somewhat of a soft surface, I would use air leveling. I had punched through a couple of blacktop surfaces with the front leveler. That coach weighed just over 40,000 lbs.

Our new coach has air leveling only and is quite accurate and has plenty of travel on the air bags. I do like the idea of having all eight tires planted firmly on the ground.


Side note: Don't ever go under a coach using the bags or level legs extended to do work. If you accidentally hit a hydraulic line or air line, the coach will come crashing down on you squashing you like a bug. Always secure the chassis with stands.

MM.

Like rdmike, we typically just park and hit the auto leveler button. The 100 sq. in. pads on our Bigfoot jacks seldom need any pads under them to spread the load, so mostly the pads get used in off-level situations where the auto level might be out of range. As said, always keep the rear wheels on solid ground though.

Your 2x12's will probably crack about the first time you use them. Two under each jack, if they are placed so that the wood grain of the two run opposite directions, will help prevent breaking them. I put plywood on both sides of mine and used gorilla glue and screws to prevent cracking them. Heavy but durable.

WyoTraveler wrote:
You may want to read your manual about operation of slides and jacks.

Reading the literature is your first homework assignment. The jacks will be interlocked with various chassis functions such as engine running, e-Brake on and such. Know what you presets are and the sequence of operation the coach builder recommends. Level then extend or extend then level. Same for when it's time to break camp.

The jacks are not maintenance free. Know proper care and feeding. Know how to recalibrate the auto level sensor and find the various fuses and DC circuit breakers providing power. Know what hydraulic oil is used. Add cycling the jacks to your monthly storage maintenance items. Add checking oil level as the next step after checking battery water level to your check list. Before moving the coach always check that the jacks al fully retracted. Include as part of your pre-departure walk around.

Use pads on grass/dirt and asphalt to prevent pads from sinking. Also use pads in cold weather to prevent the pads from freezing to the ground.

Repositioning within the camp site rather than using more jack is always best practice. Lifting both rears off the ground will negate the parking brake and the coach could shift on the jacks. You risk bending the jack cylinders. Left to right partial level is also important. Rise the curb side too much and that last step out the door can be a big drop. Find a new camp site if needed. You don't want the coach looking like it's on stilts.

You don't need a perfect level for proper fridge operation. If you feel comfortable with how close the coach is to level the fridge will be happy also. A little high on the passenger side will help drain any water on the roof, such as the AC condensate, away from the activity side of the campsite and not hurt the fridge.

You may want to read your manual about operation of slides and jacks.

Good tips. Thanks Guys. Last week I went to home depot, bought a 12 foot long 2x12 and had them cut it into 10 pieces. Then I drilled a hole in each on and strung a rope through it to make a handle to carry it or to pull it up if it gets stuck in the ground.

I have yet to use the jacks myself other than watching them do it before I bought it. I drove it home for the first time two days ago. It's my one remaining major uncertainty.

Right now it's parked on the street, and its kind of a busy street, but I had no choice while I move out of my house and into the RV. Tomorrow I'll be brining it to a friends house for a couple of nights. I'll have to park on the street there as well, but its a very low traffic area. As of now I have a bunch of stuff that I can't put into drawers because I have to open one of the slides to access most of the bedroom drawers. I want to put the jacks down and open the slide so I can put everything away in its place. Any problems doing this on a street? Just for a short while. I'm concerned that the tilting towards one side will put stress on the jacks. Is it nothing to worry about?

I have a 40' DP. I pull up, dump my air, hit the auto level, get the slides.2 times in 2 years 36 campgrounds, I used wood underneath. Always all parks I stay at are for pull throughs which most are near perfect. My jacks have large foot print pans.

zach477 wrote:
What are some Do's and Don'ts for a newbie to be aware of. What surfaces to put (or not" put them down on? Or any thing else you think of, or mistakes you've made.

zach477,
Leveling a coach, almost no matter what size/length/slides/no slides etc. sometimes, requires thought. And, sometimes, it's no brainer. I have always advocated to level your coach, using the tires and wheels, by driving up on, whatever type of lumber you carry. That could be home made ramps, blocks, stacks of plywood etc. If you do it that way, then you're not stressing various parts of the coach, by trying to make the jacks over work themselves and, possibly torqueing the frame/body etc.

Once you're "somewhat" level with your drive-on setup, then, I use the jacks to "fine tune" the leveling. And, if I've driven up on some blocks/ramps to help primary leveling operations, then I break out the blocks for the jacks. That way, they don't have to travel so far to help with the leveling and, stabilization. The farther they travel out, the more lateral movement they will have tendency to display.

And, by utilizing lumber and driving up on it, you get the stability of 6 tires on the ground and, also all four jacks too. This is just my thoughts on how it's done. Many will differ. No biggie.
Scott

I always put down a pad. The only time I feel I may not need it is on concrete. All other surfaces are softer and I want the wider weight distribution under my levelers. If I have to drive up on blocks, I add blocks under the levelers.

I carry a block for each jack made from plywood and 2x2s about 6 inches high as well as plastic base plates to spread the weight on grass or softer ground. The blocks give me more height if needed.
You should not have to lift the rig off the ground unless you are on a slope but then be careful not to raise the rear ones off the ground as you will not have any parking brakes. Good luck.